You’re searching for “foundation repair near me” and (poof!) you’ve suddenly got a list to pick from. Quickly, you start to question your judgment and lose confidence that you can make the right choice with so many options.
It’s hard to know who to trust no matter how much you might or might not know about foundation repair.
Here at Anchor Foundation Repair, we recognize that there are not necessarily better and worse foundation repair companies out there, just better and worse fits for certain people and certain projects. After 35+ years in business, we think differently about homeowner needs: you should put YOUR needs first and don’t let any foundation repair company tell you what they are.
By the end of this article, you will understand which type of foundation repair company you should be looking for to get a quote and which ones don’t make sense for you to look into. We do this so that you know where to get started with the absolute right foundation repair company to meet your specific needs.
Identifying Your Top Foundation Repair Needs
What do you need from your foundation repairs? Here’s the smart-alec in me answering this total no-brainer question: *Duh Marsha, you want your foundation fixed.* But when you really think about it a little more carefully, there are other things need, want, or care about too:
- Do you need it done by a certain time, or are you flexible?
- Do you want the cheapest price or the highest quality?
- Do you care if it’s a local company or a big corporation?
- Do you live in the house or are you selling soon, house flipping, or investing?
- Do you want a good warranty or do you not care much about that?
Do I have your attention now? See, you do need and want some things besides the obvious “actual repairing” of your foundation. Let’s look into these issues and a couple more next with 7 important questions to identify your top foundation repair needs.
1. How Fast Do You Need Your Foundation Repairs Completed?
Some homeowners need their foundation repairs done quickly. If you are buying or selling your home, you might have certain timelines that need to be met.
Some homeowners don’t want a repair crew at their home for a long time because they are hosting a family reunion at their house soon and need to get it done before that. Or maybe you have a toddler who naps and likes to play outside so it’s hard to have someone working at your house for more than just a few days.
Some homeowners are not that worried about time and are not in a hurry. They would rather get a higher quality repair that takes longer and they don’t have any important dates to adhere to. Some homeowners are willing to wait a little bit if it means getting the foundation repair company or repair type they really want.
Think realistically about your timelines. When do you need it done by at the latest? Is there any sort of deadline you are working with? Do you care how long it takes for a job to get started? Do you care about how long it takes once the foundation repair process begins? Are you willing to wait if the company you want to use might take longer?
Write down what you feel will best meet your needs as far as timing and foundation repair is concerned. The answers to this question may point you in one direction or another very quickly.
Different methods of foundation repair have varying timelines. Also, some companies have many jobs lined up and you may need to “wait in line” to get the project started.
We can assure you that most foundation repair issues are not emergencies. Most problems have taken many years to form, so it’s safe to wait on foundation repairs in most cases, but sometimes a homeowner has particular reasons that repairs need to be done faster too.
2. How Much Are You Willing to Spend for Foundation Repairs?
We totally get that some people just need the cheapest repair sometimes.
This could be because you are selling your home right now and are trying to get it under contract. This could be because you are an investor or home-flipper and are trying to minimize expenses. This could be because you simply need the lowest cost you can find to solve your pressing foundation problem on limited funds.
Other homeowners might want to get the very best repair they can afford for their money and are willing to pay more if it means they are getting something better.
Think about your feelings on the cost of foundation repair. Are you looking for the least expensive price tag no matter what? Are you getting multiple bids just to find the cheapest one or plan to pit contractors against one another on cost? Or are you looking for better quality repair methods and a dependable trustworthy contractor over the lowest price?
Write down your honest thoughts on cost and how they relate to contractor choice for you.
3. Is Using a Local Business Important to You?
Today’s consumers purposefully seek out local businesses to support and use to meet their needs for goods and services. Is using a local business an important value for you?
Local businesses tend to be more in tune with the community and have more to lose if they do a bad job for someone. A local foundation repair company might also have much more experience working with the direct geographic area i.e. they’ve done jobs in your neighborhood, and they know what the soil is like in this county.
If you are looking for a lifetime solution to your foundation problem, a company with direct ties to the community might serve your needs better. If you plan to live in the home for many years or plan to pass the home down to your family, you might be more interested in a lasting repair or at least be able to easily reach someone if you have a problem in the future.
A larger corporation might be able to offer better prices because they have a larger share of the market and are making money on a higher volume of sales. Larger companies might be able to offer financing or other options that a smaller company might not. But corporate entities sometimes lack the feeling of personal treatment.
Do you want to use a local, one-owner, or family business? Is a larger corporation something you would consider or even prefer over a local contractor? Jot down what type of company you would ideally like to use. This answer could also narrow down your pool of potential companies.
4. Are You Thinking Short or Long-Term with Your Foundation Repairs?
There are different methods of foundation repair. Some are cheaper, easier, faster, and don’t have the goal to last forever. You might just need to get some kind of repair done quickly and for the least amount of money because you are selling your home and moving away or doing a quick house flip.
Some foundation repair methods or techniques will work better in the short-term, but won’t work for as long and it isn’t the best choice if longevity is your main goal.
Is your goal to get the best quality repair so that you never have to do this again? Is your goal to get a repair that lasts through many years so that your children won’t have to worry about this again later? Is it important to you that if there is an issue down the road you will be able to find the company again because they are in town and still in business?
Think about whether you just need to get something done now even if it’s not the longest-lasting solution. Do you love your home and want the very best that money can buy for it? What are your future plans with this home: Selling soon? Moving in less than 5 years? Major remodeling? Turning it into a rental property? Forever home? Passing it down?
Write down the future goals that you have for your home and note whether these sound like long or short-term plans.
5. How Important to You is Your Foundation Repair Warranty?
Not all “lifetime” warranties are created equal. While many foundation repair companies offer what they call a lifetime warranty, they might have some stipulations that make it hard for homeowners to follow.
For example, companies could have a lifetime warranty, but no transfer policy meaning it won’t pass to the next owner. Some companies might say they have a *transferrable* warranty, but you have to make sure that you complete the transfer within 30 days of selling the home AND pay a fee, and if you forget to do it then oh well . . .
Some companies will even find easy ways to void your warranty or make it difficult to get someone out to do any warranty work so you just give up trying.
Then if you have a dispute or want to sue for breach of contract, some companies will require a legal proceeding called “arbitration” that does not really work in favor of the homeowner even though it *sounds like* a fair deal.
But you also might not care one bit about the warranty, because you are going for that short-term fix and that’s okay too.
If a no-nonsense, easy-to-work-with warranty is important to you and your home, be sure to ask any contractor you are considering about their warranty policy. I know that *reading is hard* but yes, you also need to read the contract’s fine print carefully – this should not be something you skip over because the letters are small – that’s how you know it’s the warranty section!
Ask questions if you don’t understand something in your contract when it gets to that point and listen carefully to the way they are answered.
6. How Much Do You Want to Know During the Foundation Repair Process?
Some homeowners just want a foundation repair contractor to *come and do their thing* and they are not interested in the method, process, or what’s happening at their home each day. You might have all the faith in the world and are not worried about these kinds of details.
Other people may want to research the best options, receive lots of information and updates, and stay on top of all the work going on at their house. You might be skeptical, inquisitive, or just like to know what to expect.
Which kind of person are you? What about your significant other or any other decision-makers in the home?
Write down how much info you want to know about foundation problems and foundation repairs. How many questions do you have? Does this change the “type of person” you thought you were a moment ago or does it support it?
The bottom line here is that some contractors will be ready and willing to answer ALL your questions and keep you fully updated on a daily basis. Other contractors will just show up, make some noise outside, and be on their way when the job is done without much interaction.
So which kind of contractor would you prefer to work with? Be on the lookout for the contractor that will meet your needs on this level. It seems like it’s *not that important* but this is often where many contractor/homeowner relationships go wrong.
These unmet communication expectations breed mistrust, resentment, misunderstandings, complaints that get published online, and even lawsuits. Unhappy homeowners tend to happen here.
7. Do You Want an Honest Foundation Repair Opinion or a Sales Pitch?
Listen, the kind of strange reality about foundation repair is that it’s still a sales process, much like buying a car. Every foundation repair company is competing for your business and will tell you everything they think you want to hear about what they have to offer.
Meanwhile, you’re just thinking that you want to get your house fixed . . . so why would there be a sales pitch?
Well, because they are technically selling their services and want you to buy them. Not every foundation repair contractor operates this way though. Some contractors really do just want to help you fix your home and that’s it.
You can safeguard yourself from this problem by listening and watching for “sales-y” language and pitches. Are you getting an “act now” feeling from the company’s website telling you how *dangerous* foundation problems are? Are you offered a “sign today” deal? Are they impatient with questions or act like you shouldn’t have any?
Do they just talk about how great their thing is and that everyone else’s has no value whatsoever? Do they have thoughtful and fair answers or do they falter over the hard comparison and competitor questions?
What type of company do you want to work with? Write this down now and be mindful of your intuitions. Take a scan of any prospective company’s website and tune in to how *pitchy* it sounds and if all the *bells and whistles* are working on you.
Research More About Foundation Repair Methods and Companies
You probably feel like you are left with more questions than answers here – that was intentional. This article was meant to be vague on purpose because I wanted you to really think about what YOU want over the noise of what companies have to offer.
After serving the Brazos Valley community since 1985, we know where we fall in the mix of things. Our driving force as a contracting company is as a servant to your needs above our own. In short, we want to make sure that you find what you are seeking: the foundation repair company that best meets your needs.
We fully admit that we cannot work with everybody on everything “under the foundation repair sun” and know that sometimes you need something different. With your needs in mind, there are two ways for you to go from here depending on your foundation type.
If you are interested in comparing methods of foundation repair because you didn’t know there were different types or approaches, check one of these out:
For slab foundations, Bell-Bottom vs. Pressed Pile Foundation Repair Methods: What’s the Difference?
For crawlspace foundations, Pier and Beam Foundation Repair: Are There Different Methods?
If you are more interested in finding out what kind of company we are at Anchor Foundation Repair, try one of these:
For slab foundations, Is Anchor Foundation Repair the Best Choice for Your Home?
For crawlspace foundations, House Leveling: Is Anchor Foundation Repair the Best Fit for Your Needs?